Bibliography & Annotations

Bach, Richard. (2002). The ferret chronicles: rescue ferrets at sea. New York: Scribner. 0-7432-2750-6.

Dove, Mourning. (1990). Coyote stories. Ill: Heister Dean Guie. Lincoln, Nebraska: Bison Book. 0-8032-8169-2.

Franco, Betsy, Ed. (2001). Things I have to tell you: poems and writing by teenage girls. Ill: Nina Nickles. Cambridge: Candlewick. 978-0763610357

Hurston, Zora Neale. (1937). Their eyes were watching God. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 0-06-093141-8.

Janie Crawford, a young black woman in the 1930’s, sets off to find herself in a world that wants her to fade into the background. Along the way she learns about love, happiness, individuality, trust, and peace. Written in dialect, it can be slow to read, but the scene that gives the book its title is beautifully written.

Mason, Bobbie Ann. (1985). In country. New York: Harper & Row. 0-06-091350-9.

It is 1984, and 18-year-old Sam Hughes has never known her father because he died in the Vietnam War before she was born. Now she lives with her “crazy” uncle while her mom has moved away with her new husband. Sam attempts to discover what her father was like, and in the process what makes up who she is. The story is slow but interesting, and culminates with an emotional scene at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Rosengren, John. (2003). Blades of glory: the true story of a young team bred to win. Chicago: Sourcebooks, Inc. 978-1402200465.

The 2000-2001 Bloomington Jefferson High School hockey team is expected to be the best. Author John Rosengren gives an honest portrayal of Coach Tom Saterdalen, Captain Tommy Gilbert, Goalie Timm Lorenz, and the rest of the team as they deal with high school pertinent issues like academics, drugs, girlfriends, parents, getting into college, and being a role model. The sometimes foul language of the players is not cut, giving the book an honest feel that allows the reader to feel as if they’re sitting with the team in the locker room.

Wasserman, Robin. (2008). Skinned. New York: Simon Pulse. 978-1-4169-7449-9.

Lia Kahn was popular, smart, rich, connected, and on the path to success from her high school. Until a car accident took her life. But in this futuristic society, that’s not the end. Lia’s brain has been downloaded into a new, mechanical body and she can continue to live her life, minus the eating, breathing, and sleeping. But she finds herself now an outcast of society, seen as inferior to other people. Themes of “racism,” acceptance, and personal responsibility create a story that teenagers will enjoy.

Review Podcast

Here is our review podcast (the sound kind of drops at the end, sorry):

Response to Persepolis

Like American Born Chinese, I liked this book more than I thought I would. And I feel like there was so much going on, I don’t even know where to start. I guess I’ll start at the beginning. I was laughing on the first page, second panel, when we’re shown a “class picture” but the narrator isn’t in it so we can’t see her. I thought that was really funny.

The first very poignant moment of the book for me was when the narrator says, “Something escaped me…cadaver, cancer, death, murderer…laughter?” (32). She didn’t understand how her parents and grandmother could laugh about such things. It shows a couple of things about older people who have gone through times of such terrible trial for so long. The two most common reasons for such a response are that the adults have been around the terror for so long that they have just become used to it and so it doesn’t even really affect them much anymore, or that when such terrible things are happening people have to find something to laugh at or they would be crushed under the weight of the sadness of their country. It was really interesting how we were shown that the narrator showed us this childish confusion early on in the book, I really liked that.

Of course one of the most interesting parts of the book is the oppression of people and how it is dealt with. Everything from wearing the veil all the time to smuggling modern items to banning all sorts of items that are a part of our everyday life.

I also found it really interesting that there was almost a “my dad is bigger than your dad” attitude going on among the kids. They talk about their family members and parents regarding how long they were in prison or if they killed anyone or where they demonstrated or any number of things that a kid in the United States probably wouldn’t even think of. But as the kids get a little older, they seem to understand more what is going on in their country, which helps them identify with each other a bit more than they used to, creating new types of relationships. The relationships definitely change between the students who just fall into the rank and file and don’t know much of what’s going on and those who take an active role in politics and really do understand what is going on in their country.

One thing I was really surprised about was the mistrust of the media. In the United States, we have certain stations that perhaps slant things a certain way or they may say things that are inaccurate but not on purpose. It’s surprising to me that the media would intentionally say things that are untrue because of a certain agenda. Though I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that much because it has happened, and perhaps is happening, in our own government.

The ending was heart-wrenching, I thought. Sending off your child to live in another country because the situation in your homeland has gotten so bad that it would be better to divide your family than risk staying put is something that I can’t even fathom. And as a child, knowing that you may not ever see your parents again is something that no child should have to endure.

I would be very interested to get Persepolis 2 to see where the story goes from here, and I think that is one of the marks of a good book.

Response to American Born Chinese

I read this book before Persepolis, and I have to admit that going into this genre I did not think I would like it very much. I liked comic books growing up, but was never super into them, and this genre just didn’t seem like it was up my alley. I was wrong. I really enjoyed most of this book, and would absolutely recommend it to a student. The characters were interesting, the storylines compelling for the most part, and the visual aspect added a ton to the book.

I’ll start with the visual aspect, since that is what creates this genre. My favorite part was probably the face of the Monkey King, especially on the bottom of page 145. I laughed out loud at his loss for words, and there is no way that would have come across as well without the visual. The other one I liked was the “hmph” on page 149. I thought that was really funny, too. I also like the pictures because they add different layers to the text that would be hard, if not impossible, to do with just traditional text narrative. During the scenes with Chin-Kee, the constant “HA HA HA HA” underscoring the story is a really cool addition that would not have been possible any other way. Also, the “lighting bolts” that show Jin’s confidence just add that extra something that is so much more interesting than saying, “Jin felt a jolt of confidence.”

One of the big reasons I think this book works so well as it does is that the author uses the characters’ facial expressions beautifully. I already mentioned the Monkey King, but another perfect example is on the bottom of page 179 when Jin is asked not to see Amelia again. That picture of his dumbfounded face surrounded by nothing says more than any bit of text ever could. That was a beautifully portrayed emotion. Also, (okay, I’m rambling a bit, but I’ll move on soon) on page 72 the Monkey King breaks out of the box on the page, and I thought that was a really funny use of the conventions of the genre.

Okay, the character of the Chin-kee is, as the book says, “the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype” (inside flap). I thought it was hysterical, but I almost felt bad laughing at this character and his antics because of how absurdly inappropriate the character, jokes, and portrayal are. Of course, the author seems to be trying to make a point about stereotypes, judgementalism, and how people are treated, but I’m not sure the point comes across as well as it could. With how Chin-kee acts (making a ruckus by singing in school, peeing in a guy’s Coke, making inappropriate remarks to girls, etc.) is Danny expected to just let him do things like that without getting angry or embarrassed? I’m just not sure I completely understand how Chin-kee was supposed to serve as Danny’s conscious with how extreme Chin-kee’s actions were. I’m not sure anyone would be able to react much better than Danny did.

Speaking of Danny, I did not completely understand why or how the switch was made. I know it brought it back to the old herbalist lady and how she said, “It’s easy to become anything you wish…so long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul” (29). So did Jin forfeit his soul or scruples or whatever in exchange for becoming Danny and being popular? Did the old lady do something to change him or did he just believe or want it so much that it actually happened? When that change happened, I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes. I just found it really unbelievable, and to that point I was loving the book. The last 30 pages had me wrinkling my brow and wondering why it had to go that way.